SIU reopens 2009 Brantford drowning investigation citing new information

MISSISSAUGA, Ont. – Ontario’s police watchdog says it has reopened an investigation into a 2009 drowning incident involving the Brantford Police Service after receiving some new information.

The Special Investigations Unit’s initial probe had concluded there were no reasonable grounds to believe a criminal offence was committed by any officer in connection with the drowning death of a 32-year-old man.

But the SIU says director Tony Loparco has decided to reopen the case as a result of “materially new information coming to light” – although it gave no details.

In its initial investigation, the SIU determined that early on Jan. 20, 2009, a Brantford police officer followed a set of shoe prints from a stolen car to the bank of the Grand River, where there was a struggle between the officer and Benjamin Wood.

It said Wood ventured out onto the river’s ice surface, despite repeated pleas from multiple officers to get off the ice, and that a short time later officers saw Wood go through the ice.

Provincial police divers located his body at noon that day and a post-mortem determined that Wood died of drowning and hypothermia.

The SIU said on Feb. 27, 2009, that it had completed its investigation into Wood’s death and then-director Ian Scott said he found no criminal liability linking any officer with “unfortunate death of Mr. Wood.”

The police watchdog agency says it will make no further comment while the reopened investigation is ongoing.

Monica Hudon, a spokeswoman for the SIU, describes materially new information as “information that we never had in our possession initially, that could potentially impact the decision that was made by the director at the time.”

“Generally speaking, this could be a new video that has come into our possession or a witness that wasn’t known to us previously,” she said.

The SIU is an arm’s-length agency that investigates reports involving police where there has been death, serious injury or allegations of sexual assault.